BUDDHIST PRACTICE: Death 3

My experience 3

As I developed my Buddhist practice, I found an automatic compassion dwelling inside of me. It naturally arose and issued out towards the pigeons which we regularly feed who live on our roof. When one became sick, I had to face death yet again. This was just last year, and Buddhism was fairly new to me. However, I laid the poor fellow onto soft towels in the laundry basket in our entryway, and I whispered Buddhist chants to him in Tibetan. I then played him some music. (I will add that the pigeons often snuck inside and therefore he was not frightened of being indoors, and also that the pigeons seem to enjoy listening to my music selections.) I wrote the ending chapter of a book concerning local ornithology about this particular pigeon, as we were exceedingly close. The chapter was read aloud by me on a live radio show last December. (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lamontcarey - 2007 Dec. 3^rd)

Death was still appearing in my life in 2008, when we lost a second black and white pigeon in the same way. By now, Buddhism had led me to an even deeper understanding of death. Additionally, I had read the Tibetan book of the dead. The local library has a copy, written predominantly for a modern Western audience. Not being either typically modern or typically Western in my outlook, I recently purchased an older version that is more complete. It is less condensed and goes into further detail from a Buddhist point of view. I have yet to finish reading this version of the book, as I had been chugging my way through a 300-pager on Buddhist history on loan from the library, hence due to be returned on a specific date, unlike my own copy of the Tibetan book of the dead.

Over the past few months, I have noticed that a lot of cockroaches come to die in our home. I believe that they recognize the attitude I have managed to develop of compassion and acceptance, seeing them as living beings equal to myself and other humans. We never used to get as many come in to die, only to crawl all over the kitchen sink at night. Now, they seem to understand that I will send them on their way with a Buddhist blessing. Something in the unspoken language of the heart speaks to them and lets them know they will be loved as they die, then be spiritually offered towards the Buddha in visualization for their blessing when dead. At first, I thought it a coincidence, but this happens so often now that I am convinced the cockroaches can sense my peace and compassion for them. Most people hate them, so it would seem natural for them to want to die surrounded by love. Maybe they picked up my caring for the pigeons that passed on.